This is a compilation of all the information I have gathered relating to our Chambers line, from various sources.

The first generations were taken from the book, Chambers History, Trails of the Centuries, by William D. Chambers, in 1925. It is available on microfilm through the LDS Family History Centers, and I have a photocopy of the book. It has also been posted on the web by Charlene S. Chambers King here.

Unfortunately, Mr. Chambers did not document his sources for his information--I believe much of the information in his book was a compilation of family traditions.

The rest is from information I have gathered from Indiana records, Missouri records and local history books, and, finally, our own family information from Mary Chambers Atteberry.

I have also gained much from the research of other Chambers researchers. Barbra Chambers is descended from Mary’s uncle John Quincy Chambers. She and I are working to find more about the early Chambers family. Patricia Mosely Torrance and Larry Prather are also working on this line, and have shared their research with me.

 

First Generation--
Reynolds Chambers, born about 1700. His father was Alexander Chambers. They are supposed to have lived "on the line of the Clyde Tweed Valley in Southern Scotland." Father and son were financially unable to make the voyage to America, so both died in Scotland. However Reynolds’ brother Henry came, about 1726, reportedly lived in Maryland.
1. Samuel Chambers,
born about 1720. Came from Ireland to Philadelphia about 1765. Moved to Blue Ridge Country (Virginia) and later settled in Kentucky and Tennessee area.
2. David Chambers,
born ca. 1725, in Scotland. Arrived in Philadelphia in 1743, and there married a German girl.
3. James Chambers,
born March 28,1728, in Scotland; died April 15, 1828, in Spencer, Owen Co., IN; 100 years old. Married Nancy Windsor, and lived for a time in Maryland, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky, before settling in Indiana. He was a Baptist minister! Jean Calame, who lives in Oklahoma, is a descendant of James, and I have a copy of her descendancy line. She has been researching Chambers diligently, and is looking out for others working on our line! James’ children are believed to be:

Second Generation--
David Chambers was born in Scotland about 1725. He arrived in Philadelphia (via Ireland) with the emigration of 1743. He married (Sept. 1744, in Philadelphia, PA) a German girl, and they settled in the Rappahanock Scotch Settlement in Orange Co. (Culpeper Co. after 1749), where their first three sons were born. Due to Indian troubles, they later moved into the mountains in Rockbridge Co., where their last sons were born. About ? the extended family moved on to Tryon Co, NC. The portion where they lived later became part of Rutherford Co., NC. David, John and Alexander were found there in the 1790 census, in the "Morgan District", which indicated that their district was covered by the court in Morganton, in Burke Co. David is listed as being the only male in the home, and three females are listed, as well. All of David’s sons fought in the Revolution (though we have not been able to find records of any of their service, except Alexander). About 1799, Alexander followed the flow of settlement across the Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky, where he was found (in Shelbyville) at the time of the 1800 census. In 1807, land records show John selling his property in Rutherford Co., and I believe he and his family joined a group of families from the area who migrated to southern Indiana together, where Alexander joined them. The place they settled became Clark Co. first, in 1811 it became Jefferson Co. In 1817, Madison Co. was divided, leaving John’s home in Montgomery Twsp. in Jennings Co.
According to William D. Chambers, "A peculiarity of the elder David was that in his old age he kept his head shaved, as he said, to prevent nervousness. It has been said that his wife was a stout woman, and that during their last days they lived with or near their eldest son John." According to Mr. Chambers, they may have lived their last days near Boonesboro, Madison Co., KY, in the company of both sons John and Alexander. But after searching records, I believe they died in Rutherford Co., perhaps after Alexander left for Kentucky, and then John and Alexander joined again in 1809 in Indiana.
1. John Chambers, Sr.,
born 1748, in Orange Co., VA. Married Mary (name found in lists of early landowners of Jennings Co., as John Sr. and Polly Chambers).
2. William Chambers,
born in Culpeper Co., VA. He was captured by Indians in battle during the Revolution, and was taken to Arkansas, where he lived with the Indians till he became reconciled to their ways. He married a chieftain’s daughter, and became quite rich in lands and other property. There are many of his descendants in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas (acc. to the author of the book) who are proud of their Indian blood. A William Chambers has been found in Indian records, his wife was Tar-Chee-See.
3. Samuel Chambers,
born in Culpeper Co., VA. In one of the battles of the Revolution in NC, he was killed and scalped by Indians who sided with the British.
4. Alexander Chambers,
born May 15, 1756, in Rockbridge Co., VA; died June 29, 1857, in Jefferson Co., IN; 101 years old. Married (Sept. 17, 1789, in Rutherford Co., NC) Rachel Ann Monroe, who may have been a niece of President James Monroe. He also fought in the Revolution, and was a Baptist preacher, traveling to several states, before finally settling in Jefferson Co., IN; near his brother John, who had settled in Jennings Co.
William D. Chambers, who wrote the book, Trails of the Centuries, was his great-grandson! The author’s father was James Blankenship Chambers, son of Avery Chambers and Rhoda Blankenship, son of Alexander.
5. Tetty Chambers,
married Biram Barnett, born July 23, 1765; probably died before 1843, when her sister died and left her estate to her siblings. His parents were probably Byram Barnett and Isabella Monroe, and also came from Rutherford Co., NC. (Info from family Bible of Byram Barnett Sr.) With her brothers, they made their way through Kentucky, and also into Indiana. I found her husband’s name on the 1790 census in Rutherford Co., NC, as well as in the 1830 and 1840 census in Jefferson Co., IN.
6. David Chambers,
born ca. 1757, in Rockbridge Co., VA. May have married (Oct. 23, 1794, in Augusta Co., VA) Isabella Vachub (or Walkup). A lieutenant in the Continental army during the Revolution. After the war was over, he headed west, only returning to his father’s family once for short time. He lived for a time in Rockbridge Co., VA, where he had received a tract of 100 acres of land in payment for his service in the Revolution. He probably went to Pennsylvania for a time. The author was unsure of his movements after this. A possible descendant, in the newsletter, Chambers Helping Chambers, believes he died April 1, 1809, in Rockbridge Co., VA. A son, William B., was born the same year, and married Susan Beard in 1828. David’s son, David Jr., left Virginia about 1832, and settled with his family in Montgomery Co., IN. His mother was living with the family at the time of the 1850 census there.
7. Jean Chambers,
married Wilborn. There was a Jesse Y. Wilborn in Posey Co., IN, in 1820. There was a John Wilburn in Scott Co.
8. Rachel Chambers,
married James Smith, and died 1843 in Cleveland Co, NC. In her will (docket p. 129-130, Nov. 1850) she left the balance of the money from the sale of her estate to her siblings Alexander Chambers, John Chambers, Jean Wilbourn, and Elizabeth Monroe.
9. Elizabeth Chambers,
born ca 1775, in NC. Married George Monroe. There were several Monroes in Rutherford Co, NC, in 1790, and they intermarried quite freely with the Chambers. In the 1820 census there is a George Monroe in Fayette Co., he is over 45, the wife is under 45, with 7 sons and three daughters.

 
Third Generation--
John Chambers, born 1748, in Orange Co. (later Culpeper Co.), VA; died ca. 1828; about 80 years old. Married Mary, "Polly," who died after Feb. 1835. They lived two miles north of Paris Crossing, in Jennings Co., IN.
John’s will is dated March 2, 1828, and was recorded Oct. 5, 1830, so he died sometime between the two dates. The will mentions Mary, so we know she survived him. On July 1, 1833, John and Elizabeth Chambers, and Mary Chambers, were received into the membership of the Bear Creek Baptist Church on the border of Decatur Co., and in Feb. 1835, the three, with James and Polly Blankenship, left the church to help organize a new one (Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, now called Sardinia Baptist Church) in the Blankenship’s home. I believe this Mary to be the wife of John Sr., she may have been living with John and Elizabeth after his death.
The author of Trails of the Centuries says of John, "He was said to be a very strong man. My uncle, Alexander, says of him that he found no one who could lift against him, and no equal in physical endurance. . . .My uncle Alexander wrote me that at one time John had forty or fifty horses on his Paris Farm, besides a large amount of other property." Click here to see it in the context of the book.
About 1809, after the death of his parents and the sale of his property, John and his family joined a migration of families into Indiana, settling in Montgomery Twsp., two miles north of Paris Crossing in Clark Co., in an area which would (in 1811) become Jefferson, and then (in 1817) Jennings Co. His brother Alexander eventually settled in nearby Jefferson Co., pastoring the White River Baptist church there. Both Alexander and John were Justices of the Peace for Jefferson Co. for a time.
Families who also migrated from Virginia to Rutherford Co., NC, and on to Clark Co., IN, included the Blankenships, the Chitwoods, the Whitesides (or Whitsetts) and the Stoctons (Stocktons), Monroes, and Woodwards. I think it is possible that John’s wife Mary may have been born from one of these families, as we find that they intermarried a good deal.
John Sr. and Polly Chambers are on a list of early landowners in Jennings Co., IN, and deeded sections of their land around Graham Creek to Samuel Chambers (probably their son) in 1822, and to Joseph Ballard in 1824.
The 1790 NC census for Rutherford Co. shows that John already had three girls and three boys under 16 years of age. The order I have given them below is theoretical, based on external clues, such as ages in the census, marriage dates, etc. In Trails, one cousin remembered that one of John and Mary’s daughters married an Earnwood, and another married a Stott--we know of Margaret marrying Joel Earnwood, but have found no record of a Stott marriage.
In the 1800 census of Rutherford Co., NC, John Chambers is shown as being over 45 years of age (he was then 52), and his wife Mary was between 25 and 44. There are four boys and three girls listed: 2 boys under 10 years, one between 10 and 15, and one between 16 and 25. There were two girls under 10 and one between 10 and 16. Mary was already married at that time, so that leaves us with two young daughters who may have been the Rachel and Melvina I have tentatively at the end of the list. Unless Enoch married before that time, as well, I begin to think Enoch didn’t exist! The rest of the children fit nicely into those ages.
1. Mary Chambers,
"Polly," born ca. 1777. Married (March 27, 1799, in Rutherford Co., IN) Isom Blankenship, born 1777, in Virginia; died Aug. 4, 1822, when a tree fell on him near North Vernon, Jennings Co., IN; 45 years old. They followed the rest of the Chambers clan to Kentucky and Indiana. Isom’s parents were Isaiah and Elizabeth Blankenship. In the marriage record, John Chambers was the bondsman--generally the bondsman was the father, sometimes a brother.
According to the 1860 census of Harrison Co., MO, daughter Elizabeth was born about 1803, in North Carolina. So it may be that the Chambers family migration to Kentucky did not take place until after that time. There are two Isham Blankenships in Rutherford Co., NC, in the 1800 census, and one John Chambers.
2. James Chambers,
born after 1776; died by Jan. 4, 1823. Married (March 7, 1809, in Clark Co., IN) Mary Blankenship, born before 1775; died ca. 1826 (birthdates estimated from the 1820 census.) James is shown in Jefferson Co. in 1820, between the age of 26 and 44. His wife was shown as over 45 years of age. They had children, 2 boys and 2 girls under 10, and one girl between 10 and 15, and one between 16 and 25. The ages of the oldest two children don’t agree with their marriage date, I haven’t figured out how to reconcile that yet! They married rather late in life, according to their birthdates estimated from the census (both were about 35 at the time of their marriage), perhaps this was a second marriage for James, and the first two daughters were from his first marriage.
According to Jefferson Co. probate records, James must have died about 1823, and Mary died about 1826. James Blankenship acted as administrator for their estates, and was guardian of the children.
3. Alexander Chambers,
born ca. 1785. Owned land in North Vernon Twsp., in Jennings Co., IN. Alexander was on a list of early landowners in Jennings Co. The 1820 census shows him in Jennings Co., he and his wife between 26 and 44 years of age, with one boy between 10 and 15 years, and 2 boys and 2 girls under 10. The family was still in Jennings Co. (Montgomery Twsp.) in the 1830 census, but not by the 1840 census. He was administrator for the estate of his deceased brother-in-law, Joel Earnwood.
4. John Chambers, Jr.,
born April 5, 1790, in NC (probably Rutherford Co.); died Nov. 25, 1851, as a result of injury from a fall; 61 years old. Married (Oct. 18, 1810, in Clark Co., IN, by Elder Jesse Vawter) Elizabeth Hankins, born Aug. 12, 1796, in Kentucky; died April 24, 1862; 66 years old. Both were buried in the old Baptist cemetery in Cainesville, MO.
5. Margaret Chambers,
possibly born ca. 1790. Married Joel Earnwood (per Trails), who died in 1819, in Jennings Co., IN. They settled in Indiana with the rest of Margaret’s family, Trails claims that her sisters (names unknown) married in Kentucky. However, we know that one sister, Polly (below), married in NC in 1799. The others probably did, as well.
7. Samuel Chambers,
born between 1795 and 1804. Married (April 22, 1824, in Jefferson Co., IN) Lucinda Hughes. On May 27, 1822, John and Polly Chambers deeded land on the north side of Graham Creek (in Montgomery Twsp.) to Samuel. Samuel and Lucinda Chambers were on a list of early landowners in Jennings Co. In the 1820 census, John Chambers is shown as having only his wife, and one boy between 16 and 25 years of age. This may have been Samuel, perhaps the baby of the family. Samuel and his family are listed in the 1830 census in Montgomery Twsp. of Jennings Co., but do not appear in Indiana in the 1840 census.
?. Rachel Chambers, married (Sept. 10, 1809, in Clark Co., IN) Henry Sinclear?
?. Melvina Chambers,
6. Enoch Chambers,
I cannot find any record of him, outside of William D. Chambers’ book, perhaps he died before marrying, and before the 1820 census. Or perhaps he married in NC and moved on somewhere else. He may have been the eldest and married before the 1800 census, where only four sons are listed. Or, he could have been an error in William D.’s source!
Another Enoch was born 1776, settled in Fayette Co., IN, about 1814. He fought in the War of 1812. Enoch Chambers is found in Fayette Co., IN, in the 1820 census. He was between 26 and 44 years old, as was his wife, and had four boys between the ages of 1 and 25, as well as two daughters under 10, and one between 10 and 15. I found one of his descendants, who believes he was a descendant of James, brother of David (see First Generation).

 

Fourth Generation--
John Chambers, Jr., born April 5, 1790, in NC; died Nov. 25, 1851, as a result of injury from a fall; 61 years old. Married (Oct. 18, 1810, in Clark Co., IN, by Elder Jesse Vawter) Elizabeth Hankins, born Aug. 12, 1796, in KY; died April 24, 1862, in Harrison Co., MO; 66 years old. Both were buried in the old Baptist cemetery in Cainesville, MO.
As a young man, John moved with his parents from North Carolina to Indiana, where he met and married Elizabeth. They were married in what was then Clark Co., part of which later (1811) became Jefferson Co., and in 1817 became Jennings Co. The 1820 census shows John and Elizabeth in Jennings Co., with three boys under 10 years old. The 1830 census showed them in Vernon Township, in Jennings Co., with seven children. 1822 records show that John Chambers owned 160 acres in section 36, which was split between Lovett and Vernon Twsps. In 1832, they moved to Decatur Co., IN, "where [they] reared a family of 13 children, all living but one" according to the History of Harrison and Mercer Counties, MO, 1888.
The Bear Creek Baptist Church is located in Geneva Township, in Jennings Co., at the intersection of Jennings, Bartholomew and Decatur Counties, in Indiana. The church was founded in 1828. Their records show that John and Elizabeth Chambers joined the church by letter in July 1833. John was among the first elected church trustees, and a few months later he was ordained as a deacon. The church met in their home until Feb. 1835, when John and Elizabeth and Mary (along with James and Mary Blankenship and others) requested that they be released from membership to form another church. In Feb. 1835, the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Jackson Twsp. (now known as the Sardinia Baptist Church) was organized in the homes of James Blankenship and John Chambers, with their cousin-by-marriage Chesley Woodward as pastor.
In 1845, John and Elizabeth, along with many of the extended family, migrated via covered wagon to Harrison County, MO, and the surrounding counties. In Harrison County, John entered 320 acres of land. He and Elizabeth were members of the Baptist Church in Cainesville, as were several of their children. The church was organized by their son William, and Chesley Woodward was again the first pastor.
The 1860 census of Trail Creek Township in Harrison County shows Elizabeth at 65 years of age, living with Sarah A. Chambers, age 38, born in Indiana. John and Elizabeth Chambers joined the Cainesville church in 1846, John Q. Chambers joined in 1847. Sarah Ann Chambers was baptized June 1847.
The children below were listed in John’s will. Apparently the thirteenth child died in infancy.
1. James T. Chambers,
born ca. 1811, in Jennings Co., IN. James Chambers was listed (along with William and John) in a local history as one of the early settlers in Decatur Co. In the 1820 census, John and Elizabeth had three boys under 10 years old--which would include William and Isaiah, below. James was in Jackson Twsp. of Decatur Co. in the 1850 IN census. May have married (May 27, 1832, in Jennings Co., IN, by Chesley Woodward) Barbara Clarkson. If so, they divorced sometime during the mid-1830’s (Barbary Chambers was chastised for un-christian conduct in 1835 by the Bear Creek Baptist Church, which was John and Elizabeth and Chesley Woodward’s church), and she remarried (April 15, 1840, in Jennings Co., IN) John S. Walker.
Apparently he remarried (March 24, 1840, in Decatur Co., IN) Susan Woodward.
According to the probate records, James was living in Mercer Co., MO, at the time of his mother’s death in 1862.
2. Jemima Amanda Chambers,
"Amanda," born in Jennings Co., IN. Married Calvin Moore.
3. William Chambers,
born Dec. 9, 1815, in IN; died Oct. 3, 1879; 63 years old. Married (Oct. 10, 1833, in Decatur Co., IN) Ellen Barrett.
4. Isaiah B. (Blankenship?) Chambers,
born July 4, 1818, in Jennings Co., IN; died March 17, 1879, in Mercer Co., MO; 61 years old. Married (Aug. 4, 1836, in Decatur Co., IN) Almira Kennedy, born March 2, 1819; died Oct. 26, 1878; 59 years old. In 1845, they moved with the rest of the family to Missouri, and settled in Mercer Co. There they farmed 160 acres of land successfully. They were members of the Missionary Baptist Church, in which Isaiah was the treasurer. Both were buried in Zoar Cemetery. Isaiah and Almira had 11 children.
5 Elizabeth Chambers,
born Feb. 21, 1834; died ?. Married (Jan. 16, 1842, in Decatur Co., IN) Benjamin Franklin Burns, born 1820, in Harrison Co., KY. They migrated in 1845 to Mercer Co., and five years later moved to Harrison Co., where she died. They had eight children.
After her death, Benjamin married Rebecca J. Barnes Howard, widow of John B. Howard.
6. Sarah Ann Chambers,
born ca. 1822. Married (April 20, 1837, in Decatur Co., IN) Samuel Parkison (????). In the 1860 census, she and her mother were living together, and her name was again Sarah Ann Chambers, in her mother’s probate in 1862 she went by Chambers. Don’t understand! In the 1850 census, she was 28 years old, and living with her parents.
7. Mary Chambers,
born Aug. 14, 1826; died Jan. 31, 1897; 70 years old. Married (Nov. 20, 1844, in Greensburg, Decatur Co., IN, by James Blankenship) Ralph Woodward, born Sept. 6, 1818, in Montgomery Co., KY; died Oct. 27, 1898; 80 years old. Both were buried in the Zoar Cemetery in Cainsville. Ralph was a farmer and brickmaker. He enlisted in the Civil War in 1862, and fought in Co. E of the "Old" 3rd Calvary volunteers of the Missouri State Militia under Captain McAfee. He was injured in the war and received a quarterly pension of $16 until his death. He was a younger brother of Chesley Woodward, who married Mary’s aunt Polly Chambers. At the time of the 1860 census, Nellie Woodward (born ca. 1818, in KY) was living with the family. She may have been a sister of Ralph.
8. Joseph Chambers,
born Sept. 27, 1828, Jennings Co., IN; died Nov. 27, 1909; 81 years old. Married (Sept. 10, 1848, in MO) Nercissa N. A. Bishop, born Aug. 29, 1828, in IN; died Sept. 22, 1864; 36 years old. They had six children, one of whom died in infancy.
Second marriage (April 16, 1865), Permelia Melton Sullivan, born 1843; died Feb. 17, 1895; 52 years old. They had five children, one of whom died in infancy.
Third marriage (Dec. 16, 1897), Lucy Anderson, born in Ohio. Her mother was born in England. They had no children.
Joseph was a strong Republican, and a Union man, like his brothers, and a Baptist. He joined the church his brother William helped organize. He also helped organize a temperance society in Mt. Moriah to end the drunkenness in the town.
Joseph and both his first two wives were buried in the old Cainesville Baptist cemetery.
9. John Quincy Chambers,
born April 10, 1831, in Jennings Co., IN; died May 19, 1910, 79 years old. Married Margaret Elizabeth Elenore Josephine Bishop, born July 11, 1833. She was the daughter of Absalom Bishop and Zenah Barrett--Zenah was the sister of Ellen Barrett, his sister-in law! So he married his sister-in-law’s sister’s daughter. They and many of their family were buried in Zoar Cemetery, associated with Zoar Baptist Church. John migrated with his parents to Missouri, and when of age, took land of his own to farm. He later sold the land and opened his own business as blacksmith in Cainesville, where his home was. They were also members of the Baptist church, and John was a Mason. During the Civil War, John enlisted in the Union army, Co. F., 35th Missouri Infantry, under Col. Kimball, but was discharged due to disablilty before seeing action. John and Margaret had 10 children, of whom only five were still living in 1880:
10. Martha Ann Chambers,
born ca. 1836, in IN, according to the 1850 census. Married (March 25, 1853, in Harrison Co., MO) M. T. Bishop. Her mother’s probate in 1862 used the name Chambers for her.
11. Susannah Chambers,
born ca. 1839, in IN, mentioned in the 1850 census.
12. Rebecca Jane Chambers,
born Aug. 26, 1841; died July 19, 1894; 52 years old. Married first (April 30, 1857, in MO) Isaac N. Bishop, and had two children. After his death in the Civil War (he died in Shilo prison in 1863), she married Joseph Pierce; died Nov. 20, 1878; they had five children. Third marriage (Jan. 22, 1885), S. R. Cleveland. They were members of the Cainesville Baptist Church. Rebecca was a member of the W.C.T.U. She and her third husband were buried together in the Zoar Cemetery in Cainesville.
?. Thomas?
?. Nancy Chambers,
married Stoner. William partnered with Stoner in a store in Harrison Co., and Nancy Stoner was one of the organizing members of the Mt. Moriah church in 1862.
 

Fifth Generation--
William Chambers, born Dec. 9, 1815, in IN (probably Jennings Co.); died Oct. 3, 1879, in Harrison Co., MO; 63 years old. Married (Oct. 10, 1833, in Decatur Co., IN) Ellen Barrett, born July 31, 1815, in OH; died Jan. 14, 1888, in Harrison Co., MO; 72 years old. They had 12 children, names taken from daughter Mary’s family Bible.
Ellen’s name was written Ellener C. Barret in her marriage record. A cousin in Missouri wrote to me recently, using her name as Eleanor, which was according to their family tradition. I’d like to know what the initial C. stood for! Any ideas?
William and Ellen left Indiana about 1844, with a team and covered wagon, and settled in Harrison County, Missouri, where they were one of the earliest settlers. The closest post office was in Trenton, thirty miles away. (Envelopes were not in use by then, and it cost 25 cents to mail a letter!) In 1845, William and Ellen helped organize the Baptist church, then in Goshen. (The church was later moved to Zoar, then to its present location in Cainsville--members of the Chambers family were buried in cemeteries in both locations.) William took a prominent part in the affairs of the county, even serving a term as judge of the county court. He sided with the Union during the Civil War, and was an outspoken Republican. The family had a farm about half a mile north of Mount Moriah. William died there. Both were buried in Cainesville.
1. Elizabeth Chambers,
born Jan. 11, 1835. Married Emery Hickman, born 1839, in MO, son of Alfred and Sarah Hickman. They had 10 children--the ones below were taken from the 1870 census. They lived in Goshen City at the time. Elizabeth was named for both William and Ellen’s mothers.
2. Abraham Chambers,
born March 18, 1836; died Aug. 30, 1846; 10 years old. Buried in Cainsville. He was named for Ellen’s father.
3. John R. Chambers,
"Jake," born Oct. 18, 1837; died March 16, 1905; 68 years old. Married Elizabeth Cochran, born Jan. 31, 1835, in NYC; died Sept. 25, 1921; 86 years old. Both were buried in Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Her parents were born in Scotland. She was 4’10" tall, and very thin, a very sweet lady, said Mary Chambers Moore’s mother. Jake was a farmer. John was named for William’s father. They had four children of their own (one died young), and raised John Chambers, son of brother James T. Chambers by his first wife. As she lay dying, she gave them the baby, and asked them to raise him.
4. Isaiah B. (Blankenship?) Chambers,
"Issum," on the census, born Oct. 6, 1839; died April 8, 1863; 24 years old.
5. Almira Chambers,
born Jan. 16, 1841; died Nov. 23, 1899; 57 years old. Married (April 13, 1862) William A. Melton, who was a doctor. He and his family came to Missouri from Indiana about 1844. They had six children. Garland Melton, of Ridgeway, MO, is a descendant of Almira. He passed away May 5, 1992.
6. James T. Chambers ,
"Jimmie," born Dec. 12, 1842, in Decatur Co, IN. Married Zimanda Reynolds, born in IN; died 1878. They had five children.
Second marriage, Mary C. Baker, "Kit," born in IN. They had one more child. I have learned from Mary Chambers Moore, that James actually was married once before Zimanda. She died in childbirth. Just before her death, she turned to James’ brother John R. and his wife, asking them to take the baby and raise him. They did, and named him John.
On May 3, 1863, he enlisted in Company F, 3rd Missouri Regiment. After the war he farmed until 1879. He then sold dry goods in Mt. Moriah for three years, after which he went into the hotel business for 32 years. He was in the Butler Towwnship.
His mother Ellen was living with him at the time of the 1880 census, just a year after William’s death. She was probably helping out with the family, as James’ wife had died just two years earlier. It’s also probably the reason that the little girl Agnes and the baby John was living with an aunt and uncle.
7. Nercissus Chambers,
born May 8, 1844, in Decatur Co., IN. Married (Oct. 19, 1862, in Bethany, MO) Abner Meryfield, born ca. 1841. They had four children, (the ones below are taken from the 1880 census) and lived in Trail Creek Twsp. In later years, she lived in Kansas City, MO.
8. Mary Chambers,
"Polly," a twin, born Sept. 8, 1846, in Mt. Moriah, Harrison Co., MO; died Oct. 15, 1918; 72 years old. Married Thomas Benton Atteberry.
9. Joseph Chambers,
a twin, born Sept. 8, 1846, in MO; died Sept. 8, 1846, according to Mary’s records in the Atteberry Bible. Buried in Cainesville. According to cemetery records, he was five months old when he died. His is the oldest marked grave in the cemetery.
10. Zerniah Chambers,
born May 13, 1849, in MO; died after 1888. Married (Oct. 4, 1868, in Bethany, Harrison Co., MO) Thomas Coffman, born ca. . They had four children. She was still living in 1888, when her name was given as "Zarilda Coffman" in the History of Harrison County. Sister Mary wrote her name as "Zerniah" in her family Bible, but her name was spelled "Zernah" in her marriage record. I believe she was named for her aunt, her mother’s sister, Zernah or Zenah Barrett Bishop.
11. Sarah Ellen Chambers,
born Sept. 26, 1851; died Sept. 26, 1852; one year old. She was buried in Cainesville.
12. Jane Chambers,
"Jennie," born Dec. 24, 1854, in MO. Married (March 15, 1873, in Bethany, MO) Marcis M. Fuller, "Franklin," born ca. 1849. He was a sawyer. They had four children.

Fifth Generation--
Mary Chambers, [her name is given as "Polly M. Chambers" on her marriage certificate], born Sept. 8,1846, in Mt. Moriah, MO; died Oct. 15, 1917; 71 years old. Married (Nov. 2, 1868, in Mt. Moriah, Harrison Co., MO, in the Baptist church by Rev. J. H. Burrows) Thomas Benton Atteberry, born Jan. 17, 1842, in Glasgow, Howard Co., MO; died Feb. 12, 1918; 76 years old. Both died in Boulder, CO, and were buried in Columbia Cemetery there.
Thomas was married twice before marrying Polly. The first time was Aug. 20, 1862, to Emeline Rachel Cain, who died Dec. 1864 or 65. The second was Feb. 8, 1866 to Susan Louvina Howard, who died July 5, 1867; 18 years old.
Thomas fought in the Civil War, in the Union army (he was enrolled Aug. 20, 1862, as a private in Co. F in the 2nd Missouri Cavalry, and discharged Aug. 19, 1865, in Chattanooga, TN), and was a proud member of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic), an organization for Union veterans. His pension application describes him as 5’7" tall, ruddy complexion, blue eyes, and black hair. His occupation, farmer. Due to the severe living conditions during his service, he developed chronic diarrhea, piles, asthma, and heart disease, not to mention contracting measles. He suffered from heart palpitations and severe asthma the rest of his life, limiting his ability to work to only half a day’s work, if any at all.
Uncle Robert said they lived in Boulder for a time, then returned to Missouri. Grandpa Atteberry realized how much better his asthma had been in Colorado, so they returned there when Ellen was 10 years old. His pension file shows that he spent a year in Knox Co., MO, between the death of his second wife, and his marriage to Polly; and that they moved to Boulder Co., CO in 1877.
1. Ellen Atteberry,
born Oct. 9, 1869, in Mt. Moriah, Harrison Co., MO; died Oct. 30, 1957, in Riverside, CA; 88 years old. Married Andrew Forest Page.
2. Mary Atteberry,
born Feb. 20, 1871, in MO; died Nov. 11, 1935; 65 years old. Married (May 7, 1899) to Paul Pilger. Had spinal menengitis as a child. She recovered, but was slightly retarded as a result. She was heavy, and moved slowly, and one day her long gown caught fire as she walked past a gas heater. She was not able to get help quickly enough, and died as a result.
3. John Atteberry,
born July 14, 1872, in MO; died March 8, 1873; 8 months old. Died of spinal menengitis, at the same time sister Mary had it.
4. Boy Atteberry,
stillborn, April 25, 1874.
5. Charles Atteberry,
born Sept. 2, 1875, in MO; died Nov. 8, 1875; not yet 2 months old.
6. Clara Bell Atteberry,
born Feb. 20, 1877, in Morrison, Gasconade Co., MO; died Dec. 1, 1919, a result of stomach cancer; 52 years old. Married (Nov. 15, 1895) Joseph Walter Raikes, "Walter, " died 1926.
7. Jennie Pauline Atteberry,
"Aunt Pink," born April 26, 1881, in Ward, CO; died Feb. 22, 1965; 84 years old. Married (Jan. 21, 1902) Charles Monroe Friend.
8. Jessie Coline Atteberry,
born July 11, 1883, in Ward, CO; died Oct. 6, 1946; 63 years old. Married (Dec. 29, 1910) Myron Miller.
9. Dora Atteberry,
born Jan. 20, 1886 in Ward, CO; died July 14, 1904; 18 years old. Married (June 17, 1903) Oley Broughton, died Aug. 15, 1907, ?in a mining accident? Dora died 11 months after their marriage, she was pregnant at the time. Uncle Robert remembers hearing that she died as a result of accidentally swallowing a straight pin!
10. Bernice Pearl Atteberry,
"Pearl," born Aug. 10, 1890, in Ward, CO; died Dec. 6, 1962; 72 years old. Married (Feb. 12, 1911) Heil Hull, died March 7, 1919, of Wright’s disease, a form of kidney disease.
Second marriage (July 24, 1930), Harry Thomas Currier, died June 22, 1945. Buried in Valhalla Memorial Park, Burbank, CA.

Sources:
Charlene King's website is full of good Chambers information!
Chambers History, Trail of the Centuries, by William D. Chambers, 1925
Bernice Pearl, from the Atteberry family Bible
History of Harrison County
1888 History of Harrison and Mercer Counties
Information from the 1860 and 1880 census in Harrison Co., MO
Information from the censuses of North Carolina, Kentucky, and Indiana
Records from Clark, Jefferson and Jennings Counties, Indiana
Jean Calame’s, on the line of James Chambers
Barbra Chambers, on the line of John Q. Chambers
Patricia Mosely Torrance, on the line of James and Mary (Blankenship) Chambers
Kathryn Rivers, on the line of Polly Chambers Blankenship

 

March 1, 2013
Polli Turner